HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — Codi Bigsby’s mother, Dina Abdul Kareem, took the stand Wednesday in the murder trial of Cory Bigsby and gave explosive testimony following the end of jury selection and opening statements.

Cory Bigsby is charged with second-degree murder and concealing their son’s body. He reported the boy missing in January 2022, but Codi Bigsby has never been found.

Kareem and Bigsby never married, but they had four kids in the span of three years, including a set of twins.

Kareem was shown a picture of Codi as she testified for the Commonwealth. She said it was the last picture she knows of him and it was in June 2021 — seven months before he went missing, taken at his twin brothers‘ birthdays.

It was that month that prosecutors say Bigsby killed his son, even though he did not report the child missing until seven months later.

The relationship ended in 2019, and a year later, she testified she had major health problems. Kareem agreed that Cory Bigsby could have custody. She also testified that at first, Cory Bigsby did not want custody of Codi, calling him a “mama’s boy.”

By that point, Kareem was living in Washington, D.C. They agreed on a handoff point for the children halfway between D.C. and Hampton. She testified that Nov. 1, 2020 was the last time she ever saw any of her children prior to Codi’s disappearance, and that Cory Bigsby refused to give her his home address in Hampton so she could visit.

Kareem testified that Bigsby sent her an email in April 2021, saying “I need to bring Codi back to you, I don’t want to severely hurt him.” She said Cory Bigsby told her that Codi had been fondling his younger twin brothers, a story that Kareem did not believe herself.

Defense Attorney Curtis Brown asked her why she didn’t investigate further to get a home address for Cory Bigsby by going on the Internet, which she said she did — and why she didn’t call police when Cory Bigsby made the alleged threat to harm Codi.

The jury saw bodycam video and heard testimony from two Hampton Police officers, the first to respond to Bigsby’s call the morning of Jan. 31, 2022 that his child had gone missing. They testified after they arrived at the Buckroe townhome on Ranalet Drive about 9:15 a.m., Bigsby told them the last time he saw Codi was 1 a.m. when he put him to bed.

The murder indictment alleges that Cory Bigsby killed his son on June 18, 2021, so if the defense can provide any evidence that Codi was still alive after that date, as Bigsby claims, he could not be convicted on the murder charge.

Jury selection finished before attorneys gave opening statements.

March 5, 2023:

Opening statements are expected Wednesday in the murder trial for Cory Bigsby, the man accused of killing his 4-year-old son. Cory Bigsby has been charged with second-degree-murder and concealing a dead body.

Jury selection in the case began Monday morning but lasted two full days.

Testimony should begin Wednesday, and among the witnesses for the Commonwealth are Codi Bigsby’s mother and his older brother, who is still just 7-years-old.

Defense attorney Curtis Brown has moved for a mistrial twice, and then moved for Judge James Hawks to recuse himself.

“You’re giving no deference to the defense,” Brown told the judge. “You are being biased against the defendant.”

Hawks denied that motion, too.

Questions from the Commonwealth to prospective jurors Tuesday outlined their theory of what happened to Codi Bigsby.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Anton Bell asked them if they can they handle a case where there are descriptions of repeated punching and beating a child to death? Of defiling that child’s body afterward? Of putting his corpse in a bag and then discarding it? Is a father capable of doing all of this, and never calling police or medics?

It’s a case that has gripped Hampton Roads ever since we learned of the little boy’s disappearance. Codi Bigsby has never been found, but this trial will determine whether his father is guilty of killing him.

Cory Bigsby has pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder in the death of his son who was four years old when he was reported missing. But the prosecution said Bigsby killed his son several months before, when he was only 3-years-old in the summer of 2021.

March 4, 2023:

Cory Bigsby reported his son missing in late January 2022. But as the case progressed, the father went from a person of interest to a murder suspect. Tributes to Codi were all over Hampton’s Buckroe section, including a fence at a nearby soccer field.

Amanda Randall, Alissa Hendry and Sharon Bailey are members of Team Codi and are attending the trial. The group of moms formed shortly after his disappearance with a mission to find justice for the little boy.

“It’s just weird how a young child vanished,” Randall said. “He just disappeared. We just wanted to know what happened with Codi.”

“We are excited to get to this day,” Hendry said as jury selection began more than two years after Codi’s disappearance.

Cory Bigsby faces from five to 40 years if convicted on the charge of second-degree murder. If he is found guilty, Bailey says it may bring some closure to Codi’s short life.

“I pray in my heart that I hope that he will find his heart and tell us where he is so he can have a proper burial,” Bailey said.

Timeline of developments in case

The following is a timeline of developments in the case:

  • Jan. 31, 2022: Cory Bigsby reported Codi Bigsby missing. The boy was last seen at his Buckroe Pointe Apartment Townhome. Since his disappearance, police and the community have conducted several searches for Codi. A few days after the missing report, Cory was arrested for child abuse. Bigsby was facing seven child neglect charges after court documents reveal he admitted to leaving his children home alone. We’re told 15 more charges for child neglect were added for leaving the children home alone. After Codi went missing, former Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot led the investigation. Hampton police said early on Cory Bigsby was the only suspect.